Jian's Desperate Fix

Commander Jian Li worked with a frantic precision, the dim glow of his helmet lamp casting dancing shadows across the cramped engine room. Sweat beaded on his forehead, trickling down his temples as he wrestled with a tangle of sparking conduits. The Stardust, his Stardust, groaned around him, a wounded beast whimpering in the vast, indifferent dark. Outside, the colossal shadow of the derelict alien vessel loomed, a tomb that had swallowed their hope and their engines.

“Anything, Jian?” Captain Rostova’s voice crackled through his comms, tight with a strain that mirrored his own.

“Working on it, Captain,” he replied, his voice a little rougher than usual. He forced a steadiness he didn’t feel. “It’s… stubborn. Like something’s actively fighting me.” He yanked a conduit free, a shower of blue sparks erupting, and quickly shielded his eyes. “The primary coupling is fused solid. I’m trying to reroute power through the auxiliary conduits, but they’re not designed for this kind of load.”